1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and device for creating a color conversion table for converting image data represented in a first color space used by a first device into image data represented in a second color space used by a second device. The present invention also relates to a computer program for creating the color conversion table, the color conversion table itself, a color conversion device provided with the color conversion table, and an image forming system provided with the color conversion device.
2. Description of Related Art
Methods for representing colors that are well known in the art include a method for representing colors in a device-dependent color space that produces different colors depending on the device, and a method for representing colors in a device-independent color space that is not dependent on any device. Device-dependent color spaces known in the art include the RGB and CMYK color spaces. Device-independent color spaces known in the art include the XYZ and Lab color spaces.
When outputting images on devices that work with a device-dependent color space, images outputted on different devices will have differences in color, even when the inputted image data is the same. Hence, color matching between devices is generally performed when, for example, image data specific to a first device is inputted into a second device for output, in order that the image outputted from the second-device matches the color of the image on the first device.
One such method of color matching is disclosed in Japanese patent-application publication No. HEI-9-116776. This method determines a correspondence relationship between a device-independent color space and a device-dependent color space used by the first device (hereinafter referred to as the “first color space”) and determines a correspondence relationship between a device-independent color space and a device-dependent color space used by the second device (hereinafter referred to as the “second color space”). The method then obtains a correspondence relationship between parameters in the first color space (such as RGB values in the RGB color space) corresponding to each color in the device-independent color space and parameters in the second color space (such as CMYK values in the CMYK color space) corresponding to the same colors.